3 Retention Deals

Anon

northernlights wrote: »

They wouldn't give me my PAC number and let me give 30 days notice at the same time, said it was either one or the other, due to the fact the PAC expired within a month if you don't use it, so I decided to terminate my contract. No deal was offered, all I got was the explanation of when my final bill would arrive....

Maybe they aren't interested in keeping their customers!

Not defending them, but I understand that it is technically impossible to let you give 30 days notice and also have a PAC (on all networks) as they result in the same outcome.

1. Give notice, 30 days later your contract ends.
2. Use the PAC (which has 30 days to use it) - 7 days after you use it, your contract ends. If you don't use it, you stay on contract. As a result, if you want to end your contract and have left it late (ie into the last 30 days) taking a PAC and transferring to a PAYG sim can be a quick way of ending your contract.

Anon

col_w

northernlights wrote: »

They wouldn't give me my PAC number and let me give 30 days notice at the same time, said it was either one or the other, due to the fact the PAC expired within a month if you don't use it, so I decided to terminate my contract. No deal was offered, all I got was the explanation of when my final bill would arrive....

Maybe they aren't interested in keeping their customers!

same just happened to me

northernlights

Thanks, PAYG is a good idea - at least it buys you time to see if there are any other deals out there, and it is easier to stick with the same number!

I suppose I could always be one of their 'new customers'

GunJack

Ferris et al,

Just to report that my retention deal is now almost sorted properly, finally got my new SIM after the apology letter from Glasgow. Slight problem of been put on incorrect tariff, however a call to CS and the correct one will be in place as of 1st Feb, and my second bill will credit me with the overpayment on the first one(for the wrong deal), so the following 2 months won't cost me any more.

It's been a struggle, all complicated by their !!!!-up, but for £5 a month for life, I can live with it

GunJack

btw - when you guys are calling to give notice, you ARE going through the menu to the retentions team, aren't you ?? Not to just a normal department ?? Note: Retentions are only open 8am. to (I think) 6pm. Getting through to the right people at the right time will help for the offers.....

samba

GunJack wrote: »

btw - when you guys are calling to give notice, you ARE going through the menu to the retentions team, aren't you ?? Not to just a normal department ?? Note: Retentions are only open 8am. to (I think) 6pm. Getting through to the right people at the right time will help for the offers.....

I think it is 8am til 9pm for retentions (aka Customer Options)

I have spoken to them several times, but they don't want to give me a decent offer yet....

As regards PAYG/PAC, I believe the safest way to do it is to give 30 days notice to go to PAYG and then once you have gone to PAYG, phone and request a PAC code.

My idea above to request a PAC code after giving notice but before the contract runs out won't work as it resets the notice period.

Old_Gold

samba wrote: »

My idea above to request a PAC code after giving notice but before the contract runs out won't work as it resets the notice period.

Surely this should not happen. Giving notice to quit is simply that. Asking to transfer your number should not interfere with your notice period as it is your right to transfer your number.
Any thoughts from the experts out there?

Quentin

If you asked for a PAC after giving notice and something went wrong with your new network and the transfer of the number wasn't completed, you would be "unhappy" if they still cancelled your contract as originally requested, and you then lost your number.

samba

Quentin wrote: »

If you asked for a PAC after giving notice and something went wrong with your new network and the transfer of the number wasn't completed, you would be "unhappy" if they still cancelled your contract as originally requested, and you then lost your number.

If you had asked to go to PAYG rather than terminate completely, then you would also be unhappy if they continued billing you the full contract rate.

More importantly, if you had requested to go to PAYG and then then offer you a PAC without informing you that this would mean that they would continue to bill you after 30 days if you didn't use the PAC then you would be extremely unhappy. Fortunately in my case I refused the PAC as I was after a retention deal rather than moving to another provider.

gmanp

I have been offered the following deal from Three Retentions:

£30 p/m
12 month contract
500 mins
600 texts
Nokia N95

I have taken it, phone comes tomorrow but I am considering returning it during my 14 day cooling off period. Need your advice, please!!!!

For most the nokia n95 is good enough (its pretty damn impressive) to not yet want (and pay for!!) another phone at 12 months but much more like 18 months.
After the 12 month contract, it would be fare to say that for roughly the same allowance it would be £10 cheaper p/m on a sim only tariff (e.g. o2 sim 400 mins + unlimited o2 calls + 1000 texts = £20). So for 12 months you would pay £30 p/m and for 6 months you would pay £20 which if you do the math [(30x12 + 20x6)/18] the deal is equivalent to £26.67 p/m on an 18 month contract.

So the Three Retention is equivalent to:
£26.67 p/m
18 month contract
500 mins
600 texts
Nokia N95

But compare that to this o2 online pay monthly deal:
£30 p/m
18 month contract
400 mins + unlimited o2 calls
1000 texts
Nokia N95 + 8Gb Memory Card

The deal doesn't look so great now does it? My partner and most of my family are on o2 so the unlimited o2 calls is worth a lot to me, say 300 minutes. And o2 text allowance can be used on picture messages unlike three (1 MMS = 4 texts). Plus the 8Gb Memory card is worth quite a bit, even if you only wanted say a 2Gb one that would cost you £20 so its at least worth that. Also because the o2 deal is open to new customers anyway and I can still get some use out of my year old pretty decent nokia n73 I may go onto o2 sim only first and then onto a proper 18m o2 pay monthly deal with phone.
What do you think? I would soooooo appreciate all advice.
Thanks very much,
Graham

PS Seemed to be a standard retention deal is you threaten to leave enough - pretty sure nothing special about me. But my average spend was roughly £45 p/m but I did also get a good retention deal last year, £10 p/m 12m contract 400mins 250texts sim only